


Blue moon (Now I'm no Longer Alone)

by killerqueenRAI



Category: Fallout: New Vegas, South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fallout, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, M/M, Rating May Change, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 01:02:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15085604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killerqueenRAI/pseuds/killerqueenRAI
Summary: Craig had enough to deal with while searching for the man that shot him in the head without having to babysit some twitchy boy with a distinct lack of volume control. But here he was, gun in hand and ready to get this kid to New Vegas.





	1. Ranger Station Charlie

**Author's Note:**

> Writing Fallout AUs gives me life and later Craig and Tweek give me life, so... here we are, kids. Some quick facts before we get into this:
> 
> For this AU, Craig is the Courier. My boy got shot in the head and it's time for a good old-fashion revenge quest to take out whoever shot him. But just who did it and where are they? Craig is going to find out.
> 
> Then there's Tweek, and all he wants to do is kill as many Legionaries as possible. But first he needs a plan and a safe place to lay low. So it's time to get to New Vegas, where the Legion is never welcome, right?
> 
> And for a brief overview of Fallout: New Vegas (in case you've never played it but still want to read this): New Vegas starts with the Courier getting shot in the head by a man who wants to steal the item he's delivering. Unfortunately for him, the Courier lives and decides to hunt him down, kill him, and take back the item. Along the way you meet many factions that you can either side with or become enemies to. Most of these factions are looking to take control of New Vegas and the surrounding areas, but which faction will come out on top? The democratic New California Republic, the slaving and murdering Legion, maybe Mr. House with his army of robotic Securitrons, or will New Vegas become independent? 
> 
> But also you should be safe reading this without playing the game, so don't worry too much. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

The canteen reached his lips and Craig swallowed the last bit of water that was contained within. Soon he’d need to find a water source, or at least put out some caps in the next town to replenish his reserves. He was half-way out of Nipton, but with the town having been void of most human life thanks to the Legion he hadn’t been able to restock any of his supplies. Thankfully Novac was only a few hours away on foot and there was a ranger station between the two towns. Maybe he could sneak in and get some supplies without being noticed. It was a gamble, but with his recent bout of luck (surviving a gunshot to the head was definitely luck in his book) he felt that he’d at least be able to find a bottle of water or two. Maybe even a gecko steak if he really pushed his luck.

The trek along the remains of deserted highway wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t for the damned sun that was beating down on his back. He’d already removed the flannel he’d been wearing, hoping that would make him feel better, but as the sun continued to rise that morning the heat just continued to climb. He could understand why so many of the NCR soldiers he’d met were wishing for a nuclear winter. Wandering in hundred degree weather would do that to anyone, he’d imagined.

Pulling up the map on his Pip-boy, Craig tried to see how close he was to Ranger Station Charlie. If he continued the pace he was going, it would likely only be another thirty minutes before he reached the halfway point to Novac. Even as he felt some relief, Craig remained stoic and didn’t let his feelings surface. If there’s one thing he knew about the desert, it was that at any time someone could be watching you, preparing for a moment where you seemed off-guard to strike. He’d seen it happen too many times to allow it to happen to himself.

As the minutes ticked away, Craig tried to hurry his pace a bit. He was dying for some water, his sip from earlier having not been nearly enough to satiate his thirst. Soon the ranger station was in site and Craig’s mind was made up. As he approached the walls that surrounding the remains of the old trailer park, Craig crouched down and pulled the bag off his back and began to rummage around. He knew he still had a Stealth Boy in there somewhere, and now was the perfect time to use it. After a few minutes of sifting through his belongings, Craig found the device. Unlatching the hooks on it, he was quick to secure it to his wrist before flipping the switch. Instantly he vanished from sight. With only a few minutes of invisibility allotted to him, Craig quickly made his way inside the ranger station. The main building had to be the first place he checked, as it would have likely held their best supplies. When he reached the door he was happy to find it unlocked. Turning the handle, he opened the door only a crack before looking inside. No one was in the main room, so he slipped inside with ease. The first thing he spotted were the first aid kits sitting on the floor by the desk. Opening the first one, he found two stimpacks and a bottle of water. It was exactly what he needed.

Craig threw the items into his pack and went to open the next box. This time, however, he found the box to be locked. Reaching into his pocket, Craig pulled out a bobby pin and got to work on opening the first aid kit. It took a minute, one which he really did not have to spare, and found some med-x and a stimpack inside. While the stimpack was useful, Craig tried not to use chems as much as possible. He’d seen people become addicted to them too quickly, and he’d seen how bad the withdrawal could be for most people. He had too much shit to do to get drugs involved.

Closing the first aid kit, Craig looked at the timer on his Stealth Boy and cursed. He had sixty seconds until it deactivated. Not to mention, he could hear voices from the other room now. It was time to get out and fast. Heaving his pack back onto his shoulders, Craig stood and made for the exit. He needed to get at least a little bit of distance between him and the ranger station before he could take a sip of the delicious water he’d snatched. Thirty seconds left, Craig sprinted out of the ranger station and down the road, keeping his breathing steady all the while. Being a courier for seven years had really helped with his endurance and kept him in shape. Afterall, most people wouldn’t be able to traverse the wasteland on the daily like he could. It took endurance and it took more than a little bit of survival tactics. It wasn’t enough to be able to just make up some healing powder and go on your merry way. You had to be your own butcher and chef, you had to know what random plants would cure a stomach ache and what would cause internal bleeding.

Needless to say certain aspects of his survival skills had been trial and error, but Craig didn’t like to think about that.

With his pack a little fuller, Craig took a sip of his water before starting back on the highway to get to Novac. If he picked up his pace he could make it there before the sunset, and he might just have enough caps to rent a room for the night. The idea of being able to settle into a real bed, instead of sleeping on the cold, hard ground, even if only for one night was too enticing to pass up.

With that thought in mind, Craig pulled out his laser rifle and readied it at his side. He was ready to fight anyone or anything that crossed his path if it meant a peaceful night’s sleep.

\- ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ -

What he hadn’t expected a few hours into his journey, however, was a line of mines going across the road, effectively blocking his path.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Looking around him, he noted that he could go around, it would just be a pain in the ass and set him back on the good time he was making. Alternatively, he could find something to set off the mines from a safe distance away, but he knew it would alert any of the local wildlife (and possibly raiders) to his location. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Craig decided to start looking for a rock big enough to set off one of the mines. Turning around to start his search, Craig’s eyes widened at what he saw. Behind him stood a young man, his eyes wide and wild as he held out a rusted machete in Craig’s direction. At least he had an advantage on the blonde boy before him; while a dull machete could do some damage, Craig had his laser pistol at the ready, giving him the edge with the distance between them. As he raised the gun, he watched as the other boy twitched and eyed the weapon.

He didn’t seem to be deterred though, keeping his machete up, even though his hands were shaking.

“I-I saw you. At the ranger station.” The boy’s eye twitched again and his body shivered. “You went all invisible though! You’re with the Legion, aren’t you?! You went in there t-to kill them, didn’t you?! I’ve seen their troops hiding in the hills, did they send you in to do their work quick and -gah- quietly?!”

Craig stared blankly at the boy, trying to follow his thought process but not understanding where he could make a leap to assuming he was with the Legion. Looking down at his clothing and then to the weapon in his hand, Craig looked back to the boy and raised an eyebrow.

“Do I _look_ like Legion to you? I’m not dressed in their stupid uniform and I’m not the one waving a god damn machete around.” That seemed to surprise the boy, who averted his eyes to the ground momentarily before lowering his machete a bit.

“I-It was the only weapon I could find, I’m not Legion…” The boy brought one hand to his arm and started to scratch at it nervously. “But I mean, if you’re not Legion then who are you? No one has been through here _other_ than Legion in a few days!”

With the machete having been lowered, Craig did the same with his pistol, but still kept his finger on the trigger just to be safe. The boy seemed a bit erratic, so Craig still couldn’t guarantee that a fight wouldn’t break out eventually.

“I’m just a courier. I needed supplies, so I made a stop. The NCR should have enough to spare, they probably won’t even notice their stuff is missing.” Craig shrugged his shoulder, still not letting a little bit of theft weigh down his conscious.

“O-Oh, okay then. J-Just a courier, huh?” Craig thought the boy must have been pretty naive, taking him at his word. He watched as the boy sheathed his machete before turning back to look up at Craig. “In that case, do you mind maybe, uhh, making a delivery for me?”

Craig raised an eyebrow at the request. Looking at the boy, he didn’t seem to have many belongings on him; the makeshift pack he had with him looked like it barely carried anything, so what could he have possibly needed a courier service for? Not to mention, Craig really didn’t have time to go out of his way to make deliveries right now. He needed to find the son of a bitch that shot him in the head. But who knew where that would take him, so maybe if the delivery was on his way it would be a good chance to make some extra caps…

“Okay, I’ll bite. What do you need delivered and how much can you pay me?” Craig watched the boy’s eyes brighten at his response. Those eyes were too open, too trusting, and it made something tighten in Craig’s chest. How had this kid survived in the wasteland if he didn’t hide his emotions better than this?

“Well uh, I-I need you to deliver…” The boy wrung his hands together nervously, now averting his eyes as if he were embarrassed to answer Craig’s question. His eye twitched before he continued on, “Me, okay?! I need you to deliver me to the strip! I’ve heard it’s safe there, b-because Mr. House keeps the Legion out!”

Keeping his expression blank, Craig ran through the request in his mind. On one hand, it would be annoying to keep the jittery boy with him all the way to New Vegas, what with his constant twitching and the fact that it looked like he might vibrate out of his own skin, not to mention they’d need to have a conversation about volume control (Craig liked to avoid confrontation as much as possible, so sneaking was a necessity at times). But there was one thing that could sell him on this: the right amount of caps.

“What can you give me in return if I take you there?” Craig holstered his weapon and put his hands into his pockets– he’d found it was best to negotiate business when you weren’t ready to shoot someone in cold blood.

“A-All I have is some Legion Denarius, but I have about 100! I’ve taken them from the Legionaries that I’ve fought a-and I think they have some value!” Reaching into his pocket, the boy took out a small pouch and held it up for Craig to see. Running through the math in his head, Craig figured he’d be able to trade them in for about four hundred caps on the Strip. It wasn’t the best rate he could get for a job like that (considering he was a courier and not a fucking mercenary), but he figured at the very least the boy could be of some use. He had a machete to fight with, so he might be able to hold his own, and obviously with the number of mines he’d put down he’d be able to keep them well guarded. Closing the gap between them, which made the shorter boy yelp, Craig swiped the coin purse and pocketed it.

“Deal. I’ll get you to New Vegas, kid.” Holding his hand out for the other to shake on their deal, he followed with, “I’m Craig. Who are you?”

“I-I’m Tweek.” The boy’s hand twitched in his own as they shook on their business deal. Craig nodded at him before pulling his hand back and looking to the road behind him, specifically to the line of mines still blocking their path. Tweek noticed what he was looking at and jumped, having apparently forgotten his own trap in all the commotion. “S-Sorry, I’ll get them cleaned up right away! Give me a second!”

Getting right to work, Tweek jumped from mine to mine, deactivating all of them and throwing them back into his pack. With the road cleared, Tweek turned to Craig with a nervous smile.

“I-I guess we can get going now. Where are we headed?”

“Novac. I have a man to settle something with.” And with that, Craig walked on past Tweek, listening as the boy yelped and ran to catch up with him. Surveying the quiet desert before him and the open road, Craig allowed himself a moment of internal peace before mentally preparing himself for the fight that might be awaiting him in Novac.


	2. Novac - Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the in-game companions from New Vegas will be in this story, and in today's adventure we'll be meeting Boone. 
> 
> Craig Boone.
> 
> Who oddly enough is also pretty stoic and just wants to kick people's asses?
> 
> It's a small world.

Craig wasn’t used to talking to people. He’d been on his own for so long that he’d gotten used to getting by with speaking to as few towns folk as possible, quickly accepting their business if the caps were good enough and then vacating the town as quickly as possible. It was easier that way. If he didn’t have attachments to other people he wouldn’t have to experience the bad parts of life; grief, loss, and heartbreak were all things he found he could easily avoid.

And it wasn’t that Craig had any attachment to Tweek yet, but boy, could the boy chatter non-stop. At first he’d just mumbled things under his breath, nervous mutterings about how he hoped they didn’t run into geckos, or what if they ran into the Viper gang’s raiding party? Not to mention every time so much as a tumbleweed crossed their path the boy would jump out of his skin and screech. More than once Craig had been forced to take out his laser pistol to fend off giant ants from the desert, because Tweek’s loud voice had signalled them to come closer.

And every time Tweek would apologize, sure, but that didn’t mean Craig didn’t want to strangle him and leave him for dead on the side of the road.

But then came the random conversation starters. Craig could applaud the boy for trying so hard at getting him to open up, but Craig was simply not in the mood to talk to Tweek. The less they talked before reaching the Vegas Strip the better off they’d both be at the end of their journey. To most of Tweek’s questions, Craig would give a quick nod or a simple shrug of his shoulders, but he kept a straight face and didn’t spend much time in answering him.

It was on the second hour of the non-stop chatter that Craig felt like he was going to explode. According to his Pip-Boy, they’d be arriving in Novac in about twenty minutes, and the sooner that happened, the sooner they could get separate rooms and he could get some peace and quiet.

“And you know, I-I think I saw some aliens a few nights ago! They all had these scary laser rifles, b-but I hid as quickly as I could a-and I waited until they left before coming out of hiding!” Tweek reached up to pull at his hair, another nervous tick that Craig was beginning to notice. It he wasn’t tugging on his blonde locks he was scratching at his arms incessantly or, of course, twitching. Craig was honestly surprised that the smaller boy hadn’t gone bald from ripping all of his hair out.

“That’s great, Tweek.” Putting his canteen up to his lips, Craig took a sip of water. The sun was beginning to set and so the heat had finally started to die down a bit. Instead of the hundred degrees it had been previously, his Pip-Boy was registering the temperature at about eight-five. Still hot, but at least it was manageable.

“D-Do the aliens not scare you Craig? They could abduct you! And if they do that they might dissect you or even worse, th-they might probe you. I-I’ve heard that’s the worst ever, gah!” Tweek jumped just at the thought and stopped walking for a moment to calm his breathing back down. Craig stopped too, waiting for the boy to catch back up to him, and held in a sigh of annoyance.

“Nope,” He popped the p sound as he responded, “The aliens aren’t going to get me Tweek.”

The monotone response seemed to put Tweek at ease momentarily, something that Craig noted in his mind. It was weird how different they were, to be entirely honest. While Craig had a tendency to internalize everything and keep a cold demeanor, Tweek was vibrant and expressive. He put everything on his sleeve and while Craig found it insanely annoying, he also admired the fact that someone so clearly expressive had managed to last this long in the Wasteland.

During all of the boy’s ramblings, Craig had discovered that Tweek had been on his own in the Mojave wasteland for about three months already, though he never told Craig where he had come from or what he’d been doing since he reached the wasteland. And Craig decided not to ask, as it wasn’t really any of his business. He just needed to stay focused on his mission at hand.

Finally Tweek’s voice trailed off and there was some silence between the two, a welcomed change for the dark-haired man. In the distance he could already see the giant T-Rex, Dinky, rising above the hills. That meant their trip was almost over.

“When we get to Novac, we’ll have to split up for a bit in the morning. Do you have enough caps to get yourself a room?” Craig turned his head for the first time in a while to look at Tweek. He noticed the boy tense up at the question before he shook his head.

“No, I uhh, I don’t have any caps at all. I haven’t been anywhere where I could make any.” The boy grabbed his arm and a look of guilt crossed his face. “I can just sleep outside though! I-I mean it’s not like I’m used to a bed or anything anyways, so… yeah, I’ll be fine, Craig.”

With a groan, Craig took his bag off his shoulders and reached inside to take out his container of caps. From a rough estimate he wouldn’t have enough caps to afford two rooms, and while he didn’t want Tweek to stay in his room he couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for the boy. Not to mention he knew he’d feel guilty leaving Tweek out in the cold desert night while he got to stay in a warm bed. Shoving the caps back into his bag he sent Tweek an unimpressed look.

“Whatever, I guess we’ll just share a room. But tomorrow you need to figure out a way to make some caps in town while I take care of some business.” Craig crossed his arms and turned back around to continue their walk to Novac. “I’ll help you get to the Strip, but you need to be able to make your own money along the way. There’s a credit check at the gate, so if you don’t have at least two thousand caps, you won’t be able to get onto the Strip even if you make it there.”

Tweek nodded furiously in response, “Of course! I-I’ll find a way to make money as soon as possible! Maybe I could scavenge some stuff on our way to Vegas, too!”

It wasn’t the worst idea to have come out of Tweek’s mouth, so Craig gave him a brief nod but didn’t say anything further. Honestly, the last thing he needed was to get Tweek all the way to New Vegas just to have him stuck in Freeside. Surviving in the wasteland was one thing, but the neighborhood surrounding New Vegas wasn’t safe once night fell. The Kings kept order during the day, but Craig had seen plenty of dead bodies in the morning from muggings that had gone wrong. Gamblers who’d made too much money on the Strip never stood a chance if they went out into Freeside at night. He didn’t need Tweek to be another corpse in an alleyway if he was going through all this effort to get him their safely.

As they approached the chain link fence surrounding the giant dinosaur, Craig motioned for Tweek to follow him inside the small settlement. It seemed like most of the residents had already returned to their homes for the night, with only the medical tent still having some occupants at the entrance to the town. Wasting no time, Craig made his way to the motel, pushing open the door and letting himself in as quickly as possible. An older woman stood at the desk, looking up at the pair as they entered. Adjusting her glasses to sit higher on her slim face, she greeted them with a smile and a wave.

“Why hello there boys, welcome to the Dino Dee-lite Motel! The name’s Jeannie May, and this here’s my establishment. You two looking to get some rooms for the night?” Tweek took a step behind Craig, clearly not used to speaking with someone this friendly. Not that Craig could say he was quite used to it either, but at least he had the knowledge that Novac was a generally safe town to be in.

“Just one room, thanks.” Pulling the caps out of his bag, Craig counted out one hundred before placing them on the counter and taking the key from the older woman.

“Well alright boys, let me show you to your room.” Coming out from around the desk, Jeannie May led them out the door and towards a staircase outside. Taking them to the third room on the second floor, she motioned for them to enter. Using the key, Craig unlocked the door and made his way inside, followed closely behind by Tweek. Craig pulled off his bag and set it on the bed before turning back to Jeannie May, who still stood in the doorway smiling at the pair.

“We’re good, so you can just, you know… leave.” Craig stated the request in as blunt a manner as possible before walking away from the women, focusing on checking his gear to see what rations he’d need to buy while he was in town.

“Oh, well I guess I’ll be going then!” The older woman laughed awkwardly for a moment. “If you boys need anything stop by the motel’s office, or swing by my house if it’s too late. The address is written right in the office, so don’t be shy!”

With that, Tweek took the initiative to give her a quick wave before closing the door to their room, sighing with relief now that they were safely inside.

“Th-that woman was kind of scary, don’t you think? No one’s that nice in the wasteland!” Tweek’s hands went up and into his hair as he paced around the room. “What if she’s faking it and plans on killing us?! Or maybe harvesting our organs, oh GOD!”

“She’s not going to do anything, stop worrying. Novac is safe and most of the people here are just annoyingly friendly. You’ll get used to it.” With that being said, Craig allowed himself to flop back on the bed, taking a moment to just relax into the stained mattress. It felt nice to be indoors for once and away from the wind and sand.

“O-Okay, but something about her just doesn’t sit right with me.” Tweek placed his pack on a nearby chair and made his way over to the bed, taking a seat on the edge as far away from Craig as he could.

“It’s good to be sceptical, but she won’t do anything. If she tries to get in here I’ll kick her ass, alright?” After taking a moment to stretch out his tired limbs, Craig sat up and began to rummage around in his bag. Taking out an old carton of cigarettes, he brought the tobacco to his lips and took out his lighter. When a small flame appeared, he took in a breath and lit up the cigarette, inhaling the smoke he’d been deprived of all day. Smoke breaks weren’t a safe choice when you were out on the road, so he saved the few cigarettes he had for the moments of peace he found. Blowing out the smoke, he offered the cigarette to Tweek. “You smoke?”

“N-No thanks, I’m fine without that.” Craig shrugged at the response and gave his attention back to the smoke that was once again filling his lungs and giving him a sense of peace. “I think… maybe I’ll go look around town for a bit. See if I can find any work.”

“I doubt you’ll find anything this late at night, Tweek.” Craig took another drag of the cigarette before putting it out, wanting to save the second half of the cigarette for a later time. “But knock yourself out, I’m getting some sleep. Take the key with you so you can let yourself back in.”

With that, Craig laid back on the bed and turned away from Tweek, raising a hand to wave him off dismissively.

Tweek nodded, though he knew Craig couldn’t see it, before rising from the bed and pocketing the key on the nightstand. Making his way to the door, he looked back to Craig one final time before heading out into the night. Looking over the railing of the balcony, Tweek took in his surroundings. Before him stood the giant dinosaur, but upon further inspection he noticed that it wasn’t just some old world statue; there was a door with a staircase leading up to it on the side! That was enough to peak the young man’s curiosity and instantly Tweek found himself heading down the motel stairs to investigate. Making his way across the motel yard, he ascended the steps and pulled open the door. As he entered the dinosaur, his eyes were met with all sorts of odds and ends on display. Was it a shop of some sort? He could see food on the shelves behind him and some cartons of dirty water and before him, behind the counter, sat small replicas of the dinosaur building he was inside of. Smiling a bit to himself, Tweek made his way over to the replicas and picked on up, turning it over in his hands to take in the details. 

It had been so long since he’d seen a children’s toy. Back “home”, if he could call it that, there were never any toys unless they’d been snuck in, and once they’d been found by any of the men there they were thrown to the fires or to the dogs, but no one was ever allowed to keep them. But Tweek could remember when he was younger than even that. His mother had given him a stuffed bear one, he could remember that! He would play with it all day long whenever he could!

But that was so long ago, and it hurt to look back on those times.

Putting the dinosaur back on the shelf, Tweek looked to his left and noted another staircase leading higher into the dinosaur. Where could it have possibly led?

Creeping up the stairs quietly, nervous about not knowing what to expect, Tweek soon found himself standing in front of the door. Sucking in a deep breath, trying to find some calm inside himself, Tweek laid his hand on the door knob and pulled it open only an inch or so before looking outside. Before him he could see the night sky and… a man? Oh God, what should he do? The door was already open, but it didn’t seem like Tweek had been noticed yet. He could always just sneak away, but what if this man was the shopkeeper? That meant that he might have some work for Tweek to do. Mutter a quick “Oh God.” under his breath, Tweek pushed the door open the rest of the way, hearing a loud creek as he did so. Instantly, the man spun around and Tweek found himself face to face with the barrel of a gun.

“Oh man, oh God, please don’t shoot me!” Tweek’s eye twitched and he could feel his body shaking as panic set in. His hands reached up to pull on his hair as he watched the man across from him slowly lower his gun.

“You shouldn’t have snuck up on me like that. What do you want?” The man was blunt and to the point and it almost reminded him of Craig in a way. Shaking in his spot, Tweek tried to find his words to respond to the man.

“I-I’m new in town and I-I guess I’m just passing through? Oh God, I don’t know man! I’m looking for work?!” The words were a jumbled mess, falling from his lips too quickly. It took the man across from him a moment to process, but he saw the man nod and lower his rifle completely.

“I don’t have anything for you to do, kid, so maybe you should just lea–” The man cut himself off in an instant, thinking for a moment, before starting to speak again, “No, you know what. I don’t know you, you’re not from Novac, and that’s a start. I do have something I could use your help with.”

Confusion made its way to Tweek’s face. How did him being a stranger mean he’d be of use to this scary man? Just by looking at him, Tweek could discern that he was likely ex-military, or at the very least a mercenary, but based on the red beret he wore Tweek felt safe in assuming he was with the New California Republic. A lot of them wore those berets, right? The rest of his uniform was seemingly missing, considering he was dressed in only a white tee-shirt and a pair of dark cargo pants, but his demeanor screamed military.

“U-Uhmm, how exactly can I help you?” Tweek wrung his fingers together as he waited for more details on whatever job he was about to be given. He had no clue what to expect and it had him completely on edge.

“Someone in this town is helping the Legion, and I want that son of a bitch dead.” Tweek’s eyes widened at that. This had to do with the Legion? He could feel his blood run cold as the man continued, “Someone sold my wife to the Legion as a slave, but I don’t know who. All I know is that she’s likely dead at this point and I couldn’t do anything to stop them. So I need you to figure out who sold her, bring them to the front of the Dinosaur while I’m on duty, and I’ll do the rest.”

Although the idea of crossing the Legion made anxiety course through Tweek, he knew this wasn’t a job he could turn away. He knew what the Legion was capable of and he knew the anger that this man felt. If it meant taking down even one person connected to the Legion, Tweek would do anything he could to help. Maybe he couldn’t take on their army, but he sure as hell could help this one man.

“O-Okay, I’ll do it! I’ll give any Legionaire in this town hell!” Tweek’s voice cracked as he shouted, but determination was inside of him and he was ready to find this person and give them hell. “Just tell me what to do.”

“Alright kid, you’ll bring them in front of the dinosaur after 9PM, and you’ll put this on.” Taking off his red beret, the man passed it over to Tweek. “And when you put that on, I’ll know you’ve got the right person out there. I’ll handle everything else.”

“Alright!” Tweek let out a growl as he grabbed the hat, digging his fingers into the rough material. “Is there anywhere I should start?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say No-Bark would be your best source of information. The guy’s insane, but if you can figure out the meaning behind what he’s saying, I’m sure he’ll have some clues for you.” The man nodded to Tweek, “By the way, my name’s Boone, but until this task is done it’s likely best that we don’t be seen talking to one another. We don’t want to tip anyone off that we’re hunting them down.”

And that was apparently where their conversation was going to end, as Boone turned away and returned to looking out over the highway. Beret in hand, Tweek opened the door behind him and started down the stairs.

It was time to fuck with the Legion.


	3. Novac - Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time to get some more info on Tweek and what his character is really about. I won't be revealing everything in this chapter, but it'll at least give some clues to his background with the Legion.
> 
> Anyways, here's part two of the Novac adventures! Next chapter will return to Craig and then we'll be starting a new adventure!

Tweek had stopped by the medical tent to ask the young woman who ran it for directions, not knowing who else would be out at such a late hour. The sun had fully set and the only light available to him came from the stars overhead and the barrel full of fire that illuminated the young woman’s tent. She had introduced herself as Ada and her demeanor made him question her medical skills. He’d need to tell Craig that maybe they should steer clear of her unless they needed to buy supplies. If the blood that covered the table behind her was anything to go by, he had some suspicions that she may not quite know what she was doing. But maybe he could look at what supplies she had before they left town. He had an itch in the back of his mind, one that made a shiver crawl down his spine.

_Just one hit won’t hurt…_

No, he needed to finish this job before he even started to think about the Chems. If he took something now, he wouldn’t be able to focus. The Jet would slow down the world around him, making it hard to understand people. It was so nice when he tried to find solace and sleep however; it gave him a sense of calm that he couldn’t find in daily life. It was the only time the twitches stopped and his body could lay still. Then there was the Psycho. Tweek couldn’t say how many times just a quick syringe full of the chem had saved his life. He couldn’t be stopped as he barrelled towards Legionaries with no inhibitions.

Tweek knew he should have been ashamed of himself. Growing up Chem were forbidden, used only by people who weren’t strong enough to hold their own. Anyone found with Chems were put to death in horrifying ways. One time he’d seen a Legionnaire held down to the ground while dose after dose of psycho was pressed into his body. The man convulsed and tried to break out of his captor’s hold, but soon he’d been tied to one of the Legion’s damned crossed, left to overdose as the sun further dehydrated his body. Tweek found himself staring at the man for hours, watching as the life slowly left his eyes. He wondered, was it worth it? Was the hit of psycho before a battle worth being placed on a cross? Did it make him feel free? Could this Legionnaire really delude himself so much with just one hit of Psycho?

Maybe any momentary escape from life in the Legion would have been worth it. How could he hold that against anyone, no matter how stupid it had been?

That memory came back to him as soon as he’d freed himself and gotten as far from Cottonwood Cove as possible. He knew now how that man felt, trying to do anything to free his mind from what the Legion did. Tweek thought that maybe, if he hadn’t escaped the Legion when he did, he would have done the same thing. Just taken a hit of any chem he could get while he was out with a raiding party. Anything to help numb all the feelings that were at war within him.

He’d hidden in the hills for a long time, abandoning his armor there and leaving him in only the rags he wore underneath. It was only thanks to the charity of travelers that he’d found on the road that he’d been able to hide the shame of what he once was. He’d gratefully accepted the jeans they’d given him and the tattered green shirt. It was at least better than the repurposed red sports equipment the Legion had forced him to wear for so long. And it certainly beat being nearly nude as he traveled along the lonesome road that led to Highway 95. His trade had been the few Legion Denarius he’d taken with him out of the cove, which the travelers seemed to appreciate. They considered it an “interesting trinket” from their trip.

But Tweek needed to take himself out of his memories of the Legion; it was always too overwhelming to think about the years he’d spent there and the guilt he felt for all that had happened there. Jet was really starting to sound good…

Shaking all the thoughts from his head, Tweek started to follow the directions that Ada had given him, making his way to the back corner of the town where he could apparently meet this No-Bark fellow. As he passed by the remains of the houses that lined the street, the blonde boy soon found himself standing before a tiny wooden shack. The door looked to be falling off its hinges, as if just the act of pulling it open would take the whole thing off. Approaching cautiously, Tweek brought his hand up to knock quietly on the door. It was late out, and while he’d heard the man who lived he was eccentric, he didn’t want to startle him if he was sleeping. But almost instantly the door swung open, forcing Tweek to jump back with a loud yelp as he tried to avoid getting hit with it.

“U-Uhmm, are you No-Bark?” Tweek tried to keep his distance from the man. His eyes were too open and he was eying the blonde as if he were an inhuman being coming to do him harm. “Hello, I-I’m Tweek, I’m passing through town?”

He was too nervous to be firm in his approach to No-Bark, not sure what to expect from the other man. Ada had told him he’d have better luck getting information out of a rock, but he knew he had to take his chances. ‘Just think of the money Tweek, just think about that.’ He tried to steady himself with the thought.

“Careful. They got spies all over.” The man motioned to the buildings around him and Tweek looked around him. Though he didn’t see anyone else near him, there was a possibility that the older man was right.

“W-Who? Who has spies? Is it the Legion?” Tweek’s hands went up to his hair and he tugged at the strands lightly. Could this have been a Legion spy town? If it was, he needed to get out of there as soon as possible!

“No, no! The Legion don’t matter! It’s the Molerat Men! They’ve watching the town, waiting to strike.” No-Bark stepped closer to Tweek, invading his space as his voice dropped. “They come up from the Underneath to steal young women with promises of riches and fancy mud mansions with all the latest designer appliances. They covet our ladyfolk's long hair for wigs, it's said, being either bald or balding themselves.”

“Oh God, t-that’s way too much pressure!” Tweek dug his fingers further into his own hair. It was dirty and he could feel the sand in between the strands, but it was on the longer side. Would the Molerat Men want his hair too? “You’ve all gotta get out of here, man! What are you still doing living here?!”

“I tell you what boy, someone has to keep an eye on them. I’m protecting this here town!” No-Bark crossed his arms by his chest and his eyes shifted to the hills outside of town. “I keep an eye on all things ‘round here, even if people don’t be giving me any appreciation.”

“I-If you keep an eye on things, maybe you can help me!” Pushing aside the thought of Molerat Men (he’d need to warn Craig about them in the morning), Tweek tried to get himself back on track. “Do you know anything about Boone’s wife? She’s missing, but do you know what happened?”

“Seen it all. Seen shadowy folk come to Boone’s room and leave again in the middle of the night. Thought one might've gone in the hotel lobby, too, for a spell.” No-Bark scratched at his chin for a moment before continuing, “Could be that person went in to get something. Or use the john maybe. Mighty interesting either way, you ask me. I thought it was cannibals, come to eat us all for sure, so I kept out of sight. But now I know better….”

As the man trailed off, Tweek felt a shiver wrack his entire body. Cannibals weren’t as bad as the Legion, but they were certainly terrifying! Either way he’d be looking to find some terrible person.

“S-So I should start by looking in the lobby?” The blonde wanted to confirm the information before continuing on, just in case he’d missed any details.

“I don’t think they left nothing in there, but if it was actually the chupacabra whose been goin’ ‘round the town, you might find one of its spines! That’s who I think it was. That damned chupacabra.” Every word that came out of this man’s mouth freaked Tweek out more and more. Now he didn’t just have to worry about aliens, but there were also Molerat Men and Cannibals and a chupacabra! This town was a hot spot of supernatural creatures, it seemed!

“Agh! Okay, okay I’ll look there first! Thanks man.” With a wave, Tweek went on his way, ready to continue his search. Keeping close to the back wall of the motel, which faced No-Barks shack, Tweek snuck closer to the lobby of the motel around the building. Now that he had a lead he needed to be careful. What if someone thought he was close to uncovering the truth? They’d kill him for sure! He needed to get in there without being spotted at all costs.

Once he was around the building, he pushed gently on the lobby door, finding that it was still unlocked even this late in the evening. Poking his head inside, he was relieved to find that Jeannie May had already left for the night. He didn’t want her to think anything shady was going on in her motel! She might have been uncomfortably nice, but that didn’t mean he wanted to scare her with whatever was going on.

First he checked the shelves, looking to see if anything had been left behind. All the boy found was dust that must have been sitting there for months. Next up was the counter area. Tweek felt especially bad about snooping around that area, not wanting to dig through the proprietor’s belongings unnecessarily. But it had to be done if he was going to help Boone. The first thing he checked was the open register. It looked as though it had been cleared out when Jeannie May had left for the evening, so there was nothing for him to further inspect in there. Next he looked to the shelves under the register and crouched down. A few papers were stacked there, listing previous residents of the motel. Looking through the papers, Tweek didn’t find any names that stood out, though he assumed that any possible Legion members who stayed there would have gone by a fake name for their stay. Sighing, he hastily put the papers back, crinkling their edges in his shaking hands as he did so.

As he looked back, however, he found something that had been hidden behind the papers. A small key sat at the back of one of the shelves and Tweek found himself reaching for it. He knew he couldn’t be doing this, snooping and all, but this was important, right? Taking the key into his hand, he stood and looked around once more. It had to go to something, so where hadn’t he looked yet? Assessing his surrounding, Tweek looked to the ground and found a small safe embedded in the floor. The lock was tiny and when he looked back to his key he put two and two together. Returning to the ground and taking a seat, he pressed the key into the safe and turned it. Instantly the safe opened to him. The first thing that caught his attention in the safe was a small piece of paper, but underneath that lay a large pile of caps, an insane amount in fact!

First though, Tweek picked up the paper. As soon as he started to read it, however, his hands began to shake. It was the Legion. Someone was working with the Legion. This was a Bill of sale!

_“We, the representatives of the Consul Officiorum, have this day bargained and purchased from Jeannie May Crawford of the township of Novac the exclusive rights to ownership and sale of the slave Carla Boone for the sum of one thousand bottle caps, and those of her unborn child for the sum of five hundred bottle caps, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged. We warrant the slave and her young to be sound, healthy, and slaves for life. We covenant with the said, Jeannie May Crawford, that we have full power to bargain and sell said slave and her offspring. Payment of an additional five hundred bottle caps will be due pending successful maturation of the fetus, the claim to which shall be guaranteed by possession of this document. M. Scribonius Libo Drusus et al._

_Administrators of M. Licinius Crassus, Consul Officiorum ab Famulatus“_

Tweek’s eyes screwed shut as he took in all of the information on the bill. He knew the Legion was made up of monsters masquerading as men, but buying a baby? Damning it to a life of slavery? That was too much. He’d always tried to block out the young children that were brought to Cottonwood cove, but seeing it on paper was too much to handle. A soft sob left his mouth and he had to press his hands against his eyes to stop himself from crying.

He needed to finished this. Now. Jeannie May was a monster and no better than any of the other Legionnaires out there. Taking a deep breath to try and settle the heart that was pounding in his chest, Tweek rose from the ground and shoved the bill into his back pocket. It was time to end this.

\- ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ - ♠ -

The town was silent as he stood in front of Jeannie May’s door. Tweek had been standing there for about twenty minutes, too scared to turn the door handle and let himself inside the home. What if she knew he was on to her and this was turned around on him? What if there was Legion in the town that came to her aid? There were a lot of what ifs and he needed time to steel his nerves before he did this.

“Y-You can do this Tweek. You want to kill Legion and this is your chance! Argh, it’s time to do this!” He growled as he opened the door. All was quiet in the house as he let himself in and started to look for the older woman. To his right he found the bedroom and there lay the woman, fast asleep in her bed. He could have done it himself, just ended her life while she was sleeping.

But no, Boone needed this one more than he did.

Stepping into the room, Tweek stood beside the bed and placed his hand on Jeannie May’s shoulder, shaking her awake.

“Is everything all right? Awful late to be dropping in.” She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she rose from her bed, still out of it as she tried to find her balance upon standing.

“I-I uh… C-Could you come with me? There’s something I need you to see. It’s-- it’s in front of the dinosaur!” Tweek’s hands wrung together in front of him and he could feel himself twitch. He was about ready to freak out. What if this didn’t go the way Boone thought it would? What if Jeannie May caught on to him? He’d always been a twitchy person and people tended to think he was always up to something. But the woman simply smiled and nodded to him.

“Okay, if that's what you think. I’ll follow you there.” And with that they made their way out of the house, climbing the small hill that led to the town entrance. For once Tweek wasn’t the one doing the talking, too nervous about giving away what was about to happen. Jeannie May, on the other hand, commented on what a lovely night it was and how she missed all the star gazing she had done in her youth. Tweek tried to block it out, though; he couldn’t listen to her talk and start thinking of her as an actual human. She was Legion. She was a monster, and that’s all that mattered.

As they passed the chain link fence and found there way just a few steps outside of time, Tweek and Jeannie May looked up at the dinosaur together. It was time to end this.

“So what did you need me to see, kiddo?” The older woman smiled at him in a patient manner, clearly unsure of what she was doing out here.

“Uhmm, j-just let me get one thing and you’ll see.” Reaching into his pocket, Tweek took out the red beret he’d folded up and shoved in there earlier. Unfurling it, he placed it atop his head and looked up to the mouth of the dinosaur, waiting to see what Boone would do. In less than a second, Tweek heard a shot ring out. As he turned to look at Jeannie May, he noted her head had been blown clean off her body. With a shriek, Tweek jumped away from the body. He’d known that this was likely to be the outcome, but seeing it before his eyes was too much to deal with!

He needed to get to Boone! He needed to give him the bill he’d found and explain everything to him!

Run back to the motel’s courtyard, Tweek threw open the door to the dinosaur and took the steps up the the sniper’s nest two at a time, rushing to speak with the militant man. As he opened the door, Boone made sure not to meet his eyes.

“How did you know?” Tweek yelped, but got to work taking the bill of sale out of his pocket. Unfolding it, he passed it over to Boone who started to read it as soon as it was in hand. Tweek didn’t know what kind of response he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t a mere nod and for the note to vanish into Boone’s pocket. “You did well. I can’t say I’m surprised, but at least now I have some closure. I guess I owe you, don’t I?”

“U-Uh yeah, I’d appreciate that!” After all he’d had to go through to find that woman, he figured at least some payment was due. Boone finally turned to him, still no expression on his face as he dropped a small bag of bottle caps into his hand.

“That’s all I’ve got, but anytime you need someone to hunt down Legionnaires with, you know where to find me.” And with that, Boone waved him off and returned to his rifle, looking out over the wasteland. Tweek smiled at the small sum of bottle caps in his hands and made his way out of the sniper nest. He couldn’t wait to show Craig what he’d gotten! Not to mention, there was still that safe full of bottle caps that they could snag before leaving town…

With a bit of excitement in his step, Tweek returned to the motel room and announced his return with,

“I-I did it! I did my first job!”

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be posting headcanons for this AU and chapter updates as well over on my tumblr (QueenRaibix), so follow me there if you want all of the details I'll be coming up with for this story.


End file.
